The Health Foundation judges a year based on whether or not it was able to buy equipment and expand services, explains Executive Director Ross Fisher. Based on that measure, 2012 was a successful year.
The big project for 2012 was new ultrasound equipment, which allows for more tests to be conducted in the region and reduces waiting times.
A new service for the area was the lymphedema service which was recently put in place. Fisher says it's not something that will affect a huge number of people, but that it's something that will make a huge difference to the people it helps, since they no longer have to go to Regina two or three times a week to get the treatment.
"When we do things like the lymphedema service, or when we put in place new equipment for the maternity ward or buy equipment for the lab or ICU, we don't really run campaigns for those because you're raising money for a $25,000 piece of equipment... But, we probably spend a couple hundred thousand dollars a year on equipment like that," Fisher says.
One of those small purchases was warming pads for operating rooms. Fisher says that it's new for the area, but keeping patients warm is something that is good during surgery.
He also notes that a hundred thousand dollars on equipment outside Yorkton, as he says that all patients in the region need equipment. He notes that the majority of big campaigns are for adding services in the city itself because everyone uses it, and it allows for specialized services, but it's still important to serve areas outside of the city.
"Our goal is to provide services to prevent people from travelling outside the area to access services. The more you keep things local, the more likely people will actually go for tests, get their diagnosis in time, take their kids and do that early enough to have a real effect. Often, getting early diagnosis, for all sorts of things, like breathing disorders for example, it's important to do that while they're still young and growing, because those conditions can cause permanent scarring for their whole life..."
The community plays a major role in the Health Foundation's projects, both in raising funds and finding projects, Fisher notes. He says that there have been several projects, such as the new lymphedema service and the pulmonary function testing equipment, were driven by patients in the region bringing up need for the services.
The beginning of the year saw the completion of the conceptual plan for the new hospital. Fisher says that it's a slow process, especially since the government has other health care spending on its agenda. He expects that 2013 will see more discussion and movement on the facility.
With the growing population and increasing number of services provided in the area, the current hospital is now the biggest obstacle for expanding services, due to the difficulty of renovation as well as the simple matter of a lack of space suggests Fisher.
Since this is such a large project, he expects it to take six or seven years before the facility opens its doors. Part of that time will be working with the provincial government to plan the facility, as well a just building it, which he expects will cost a total of $300 million.
"It will be, outside of the mines, the biggest project we've had in this area."
With that larger project comes different ways of raising money. The Radiothon will grow much larger, and Fisher says that the plan is to have a month of community involvement that comes to a head in the two day event. They will also be part of a farming project to grow some crops to raise money. Fisher says that the full details of this project will be released closer to seeding season.
"We're expecting this to have some good results, but it will also involve us in something we haven't really done for a while."
Funds raised from these projects will be directed towards a fund for the new hospital, and other fundraising efforts will be used to raise money for today, rather than the future. He says that the annual golf tournament and charity road race are two of the biggest events for the foundation, both in funds raised and community involvement. He notes that funds from both go to new equipment, and the golf tournament raises money for equipment throughout the region, to reflect the different teams that participate.
The immediate future will see the completion of efforts to raise money for the STARS heli-pad, which will need to be completed by March. Fisher says $100,000 is necessary to complete this project. There are also plans to expand the chemotherapy program in the new year, in order to provide treatment for more types of cancer. Otherwise, the plan is to find out what services make sense for the area, through consulting the professionals in the region as well as community members.
